This invention relates to an improved electric connector and particularly to an electric connector that is made by means of integral plastics injection molding process for obtaining higher quality at a lower cost.
Electrical connectors have been widely used in all sorts of electric and electronic products nowadays. One of the contemporary trends for designing electric and electronic products is slim size and light weight. Connectors design and construction have also to meet such a trend. FIG. 1 shows a conventional electric connector which generally includes a socket A, a plug B and a plurality of terminals C. The socket A has a slot cavity D in a rear end and a plurality of slots E formed in the slot cavity D. The plug B includes a vertical body F which has a plurality of through bores J formed therein and a horizontal beam G which has a plurality of grooves H formed thereon. Each groove forms a notch I at the free end of the beam G. There is a terminal C which has one end passing through the bore J and extending outside the vertical body F and another end laid in the groove H and bent over the notch I to form a slant angle suspending below the horizontal beam G at a side opposite to the grooves H. Then the plug B combined with the terminals C may be inserted into the socket A, with the suspending end of the terminal C engaging with a slot E. The plug B further has a pair of snap noses K located on two side walls engageable with two latch openings L formed in the socket A for securely holding the plug B in the socket A at the final assembly.
In the conventional connector set forth above, the plug B is formed in an L shape manner. The terminals C cannot be integrally made with the plug B because of the peculiar shape of the plug B makes the injection mold difficult or impossible to make. Hence the terminals C have to be made separately and then be inserted and assembled in the plug B. Production and assembly time become lengthy and cost is higher. More over it often happens that the terminals C cannot be neatly and smoothly fitted into the grooves H, and the suspending end of the terminals C cannot be precisely positioned to fit into the slots E. As a result, it may cause short circuit or interference. All this begs for improvement.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved electric connector that includes a socket, a plug, terminals and guide pins in which the plug and terminals and guide pins may be integrally produced at large quantity at a lower cost and less production time.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved electric connector in which the terminals and plug may be integrally made by plastics injection molding process. The terminals thus may be positioned precisely and held securely in the plug without causing terminal misalignment. Short circuit or interference may be greatly reduced or avoided.